Generally all modern ski bindings have, for changing the release force, at least one adjusting device. If only one adjusting device is provided, then the danger exists that the skier makes himself changes to the adjusting device which has been initially adjusted by the man skilled in the art, which causes the release values to be not or not always in correspondence with the release values needed for the skier. To overcome these difficulties, devices are also known, which have two adjustment possibilities, namely a basic adjustment, a so-called rough adjustment and a fine adjustment. The basic adjustment is thereby made by the man skilled in the art and can only be changed by him; the change in the fine adjustment can also be made by the skier himself. The fine adjustment is limited to a certain hardness range--within each step of the basic adjustment, so that the skier cannot make any important changes in the adjusting force. The measure requires, however, additional materials and expenditures. Such a device is described in Austrian Patent No. 296 838.
Austrian Patent No. 308 602 describes a similar device wherein the adjusting device has a projection which extends in longitudinal direction of the final control element and into the path of the cylindrical wall of the projection extends the end of a small screw which extends transversely to the longitudinal direction of movement of the final control element. Operation of the screw is limited to the usage of a corresponding special too, which is available only in special stores. Since the fine adjustment can be done by the skier by using simple means, for example a coin, it is not assumed that he will carry along during skiing an additional and special tool.
In spite of this, this solution is not quite satisfactory, because an unauthorized adjustment for which the special shop can no longer take the responsibility, can later on not clearly be determined. In the case of disputes which occur due to an injury and which are due to an incorrect adjustment of ski bindings and in the case of which the liability of the special store is important, it is therefore necessary to provide a device which does away with the use of two adjusting devices and facilitates a later determination of an unauthorized handling.
Such a solution is known from German OS No. 18 08 466. In this device, the adjusting device is stored in a sealed housing or the screw which effects the adjustment is directly sealed. The seal is thereby mounted in a conventional manner so that the man skilled in the art must obtain and use an additional sealing tool.
The purpose of the invention is to overcome the disadavantages of all mentioned solutions and to provide a simple and secure method for closing off the adjusting device. The above-mentioned fine adjustment by the skier is also possible without requiring special structural parts.
In this manner, not only is the set purpose satisfactorily attained, but the skier has also the possibility to make, in the case of a need, the adjustment himself. During the subsequent skiing with such an adjusted binding, the otherwise responsible man skilled in the art is free from his liability. After such a skiing, the skier must hand over the adjusting device, which he himself opened and adjusted, for the correct adjustment and for the purpose of installing a final seal again by the man skilled in the art. The dealer is liable for a correct adjustment of the ski binding only when same has a seal which is still intact.
To assure that the special dealer is liable exclusively for the correct adjustment of the ski bindings which had been adjusted by him, according to a further characteristic the invention includes the provision of closing elements which are to be inserted with a certain marking thereon identifying the dealer. This is handled in the simplest manner by the manufacturer supplying the special stores with suitably marked closing elements.
As already mentioned above, it is also assured that the skier can perform the fine adjustment within a certain limit without destroying or damaging the closing element (the seal). This is achieved according to a further characteristic of the invention by the final control element being freely supported for a limited rotation at least by one stop within the certain limit, which is preferably smaller than 360.degree..